Customer and Local Services: Allocation of Reserve Funding for additional income support costs and the reduction of fees and charges income due to the impact of Covid-19

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A decision made on 30 September 2020

Decision reference: MD-TR-2020-0128
Decision Summary Title:	Allocation of Reserve Funding to CLS in 2020 for additional income support costs and the reduction of fees and charges income due to the impact of COVID-19		Date of Decision Summary:	30 September 2020
Decision Summary Author:	Specialist – Business Cases		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title:	Allocation of Reserve Funding to CLS in 2020 additional income support costs and the reduction of fees and charges income due to the impact of COVID-19		Date of Written Report:	30 September 2020
Written Report Author:	Specialist – Business Cases		Written Report: Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: The allocation of up to £7.9 million in 2020 from the General Reserve to CLS (Customer and Local Services) for additional income support costs and the reduction of fees and charges income due to the impact of COVID-19.
Decision(s): The Minister approved a non-recurring allocation from the General Reserve in 2020 of up to £7.9 million to CLS for additional income support costs and the reduction of fees and charges income due to the impact of COVID-19.
Reason(s) for Decision: Article 15(3) of the Public Finances (Jersey) Law 2019 states that the approval by the States of a government plan authorises the Minister to direct how an approved appropriation for a reserve head of expenditure in the plan may be spent (including on another head of expenditure) in the first financial year covered by the plan. The current Policy for Allocations from the Reserve agreed by the Minister for Treasury and Resources (published as R.80/2020) sets the requirement that all proposed allocations from the General Reserve (Covid-19), once recommended for approval by the States Treasurer (taking into account comments from the Principal Accountable Office), are referred for review to either the Council of Ministers or the relevant Competent Authorities Ministers prior to submission to the Minister for approval. The Investment Appraisal Team has recommended this request for approval and further to these reviews the States Treasurer recommends this allocation to the Minister for approval on the basis that:- a refined business case is received by Investment Appraisal by 15th October; and claimant numbers and income forecasts will continue to be reviewed by CLS and a review will take place early in Q4 to enable the forecasts to be updated. The Principal Accountable Officer and the Council of Ministers have also been consulted.
Resource Implications: The CLS head of expenditure to increase by up to £7.9 million in 2020 and the General Reserve to decrease by the same amount. This decision does not change the total amount of expenditure approved by the States in the Government Plan 2020-2023.
Action required: The Head of Financial Governance to advise the Specialist – Business Cases and the Heads of Finance Business Partnering of CLS that this decision is approved.
Signature:		Position: Deputy S J Pinel Minister for Treasury and Resources
Date Signed: 30th of September 2020		Date of Decision: 30th of September 2020